Missing Beat
by Forsaken Angel BlackWing
Summary: Kazuto Kirigaya has it all. He has the best friends a person could ask for, he's the lead guitarist and songwriter of a popular band with legions of fans, and he's content with all that... or at least, he was. After helping someone get over a devastating breakup, he had sworn never to fall in love... but a promise such as that is not so easily kept. Kiri/multi
1. Prologue: Nothing but Trouble

Missing Beat

Prologue: Nothing but Trouble

* * *

**A/N:**

**Dammit! I'm supposed to be writing for NaNoWriMo! What am I doing?! Well… I guess all I can do is hope that I'll be able to get back to that before the deadline, huh?**

**Anyone notice that my pen name is no longer Infinity Moment? Well, I like this one better. End. Of. Story. :P**

**Anyway, you guys realize that this'll keep happening until I find another story that sticks like TKC and FESR, right? I just keep coming up with new stories left and right, and there really isn't any way to stop the flow without getting it down on my word processor.**

**So, I'm making my second standalone harem fic, aren't I? (Shattered Memories doesn't count, as it's the sequel to something else)**

**As you may have guessed, this is a music-related fic. (Oh my glob! It doesn't have swords in it!) I have no idea how many of these there are in the SAO archive, but I'm doing one anyway. To tell the truth, I came up with another fic of this name about a month back, but it was so full of swearing, I just couldn't post it. This one won't be as vulgar as the original one was, as this one is set in… you guessed it— high school!**

**Well, that's enough explaining. I'll let the prologue do the rest of that!**

**See ya at the bottom!**

* * *

I bolted upright in bed, panting heavily. When I tried to remember my dream, my head started throbbing in pain… again.

"I guess you had that dream again, huh?" someone said from the bed next to mine.

"Yeah… Sorry for waking you up, Sachi," I said, rubbing the back of my head.

"Want to get up and get something to drink?" Sachi asked me, sitting up in her bed. "My parents just got some herbal tea that's supposed to calm you down."

She got up, took my hand, and led me to her kitchen. As always, its size intimidated me. Compared to my own kitchen, hers looked fit for a king… no, a _god_.

Sachi opened the cabinet to the far left, pulling out some teabags.

"They look exotic," I whispered.

"You know, my parents aren't home tonight," Sachi said, making my heart start to pound at the implications. "You don't have to whisper."

_Oh, thank god. That just about killed my heart._

"Whatever," I told her, my perfect façade protecting my nervousness from exposure… or so I thought.

Unfortunately for me, she knew me well enough to see right through it.

"You were totally freaking out back there!" she said, cracking up. "I've no intention of losing it this early on. Besides, we're not even in a relationship. Remember the belief we share?"

"Love is nothing but trouble," we said unanimously.

_But sadly, I'm starting to experience firsthand just how true that is._

Until recently, I had believed I would never fall in love, and that people who did were destined to get hurt by heartbreak. And of course, of all the people I could fall for, it just had to be…

"Hey, you all right?" Sachi asked me.

"Y-yeah, just thinking…"

"Well, let's drink some tea and get back to bed."

I could tell she didn't want to push the matter, and I felt glad that she had the decency to not try to pry.

Once we finished drinking the tea, (which proved to be very good) we went back to our beds, falling asleep as soon as we lay down on the soft, plushy mattresses.

* * *

When I woke up, I heard the shower running from across the hall, and I instantly knew that Sachi was taking one of her signature hour-long showers.

"Great… the last thing I need is to get nothing but cold water in my shower," I muttered to myself.

I looked at the clock, trying to gage when she would emerge from the shower, finally meeting her standards of "clean".

_Well, it's six thirty now, and she usually gets in at five forty-five, so I've got some time to prepare breakfast._

Back in the kitchen, I let my thoughts run wild as I prepared a simple dish for us.

_It sure was nice of Sachi's parents to let me stay with her while my family is on vacation. It's pretty cool that they trust me around her while they're away on a business trip._

Despite me no paying attention in the slightest to the dish I was cooking, when I finally looked at it, I noticed that it was just about ready.

_It's amazing how lucky I am with cooking._

Sachi walked into the kitchen, nothing but a towel covering her body, and her natural midnight-blue hair shined lustrously in the soft light coming from the window. (I had been cooking without the lights on.)

We had grown accustomed to seeing each other like this long ago, when we realized that neither of us would make a move on the other. We shared a trust that went deeper than any other emotion could.

_"Love is nothing but trouble."_

We had decided this on the same night, when I was helping her get over a devastating breakup. On that very night, we had both sworn never to fall in love again. Of course, a promise such as that is not one so easily kept.

"Hey," she said. "Smells nice. What're you cooking?"

"Pancakes. Nothing special," I said nonchalantly.

"Still, you're one of the best cooks I know. You don't cook much, though, so anything you make is special."

* * *

When we finished eating, I decided to take a shower.

"I'll be out in time for us to walk to school!" I shouted from the bathroom.

"Okay!"

I walked into the bedroom, gathering some clothes and heading to the bathroom.

When I turned the water on and stepped in the shower, I found the water to be pleasantly warm, much to my surprise.

_Strange… she doesn't usually take cold showers, and the warm water doesn't normally last this long here. Well, whatever._

I began to think of the time we swore never to fall in love.

* * *

_I heard a knocking at my door, and when I opened it, I saw Sachi standing on my doorstep, soaked by the pouring rain._

_"God, you're soaked! Here, let's get you in some dry clothes," I said frantically, pulling her inside._

_As soon as she got out of the bathroom, dressed in the spare clothes I loaned her, she came running over to me. She buried her head into my chest, crying profusely._

_"What's wrong?"_

_"Keita… why…?" Sachi cried, her tears soaking my shirt._

_Not believing my ears, I said, "So that's what this is about…"_

Keita broke up with Sachi? But they looked like they were _made_ for each other! I thought… I thought she had finally found someone who wouldn't do this to her like all the rest did!

_The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. But at the same time, I knew that she was in the stage where if I did anything to him, she'd be even more upset with me than she would be with him. And so, I knew that all I could do was comfort her in her time of grief._

_"Shhh… it'll be okay, Sachi."_

_"I finally thought… that I had found someone who wouldn't care… that I'm so close… to you!" she said in between sobs._

_"Wh… what? What do you mean?" I asked nervously._

_"All the guys I date… when they learn how close I am with you, the lead guitarist of a famous band, they all think I'm cheating on them with you!"_

That's right… Infinity Moment is pretty a well-known band, isn't it?_ I thought wryly, looking down._

_"Sorry, Sachi. I didn't know that was why… maybe if I was out of the picture—"_

_"No!" she shouted into my chest, startling me. "It's not your fault. If anything, it's their fault for not trusting me enough!"_

_I stood there, shocked._

_"I just have the worst luck with dating men…"_

_"Then don't date."_

_"What?"_

_The statement I made shocked even myself, but I kept going. "Love is nothing but trouble anyway. Why fall in love if it only ends in heartbreak?"_

_She looked up at me, and I smiled down at her. Then, she started giggling uncontrollably._

_"What?"_

_When she finally calmed down, she said, "It's just that… only you would say something like that. Most guys in your position would've tried to make a move on me, but you… you're above that. And that, my friend," she flicked my head with her left index finger. "Is what makes you unique."_

_"Yeah, yeah," I said, rubbing my forehead._

She flicks hard!

_"But you know what?" Sachi said, moving away to smile at me._

_"What?"_

_"You're right," she told me. Before I could ask what she meant, she elaborated. "Love has been nothing but trouble for me. I'd say it's time to stop trying."_

_"Is that a promise?" I teased._

_"Only if you promise with me."_

_I looked at her serious expression, and despite my better judgment, I found myself giving in._

_"I swear never to fall in love again."_

_"And I swear never to fall in love… period."_

* * *

I turned the water off, having somehow washed while I was lost in thought.

_That was a year ago._

"Well, I guess I'd better start walking to school. I've got a gig in a few days, and I've got practice this morning," I muttered to myself.

Walking into Sachi's room, I went to the second bed and pulled my guitar case out from under it. Opening it up, I found my most important possession: my electric guitar, a Gibson Les Paul.

I closed the case again, having made sure that no one had taken it during the night.

_You can never be too paranoid when you have an expensive electric guitar._

"Why don't you play something? We have some time before we have to get going?" Sachi suggested.

"Well… I guess I need to practice for my gig coming up. We may only be a local band, but Infinity Moment is gaining a huge fanbase, even in other cities. We might go pro if it gets big enough."

I sighed. "And I guess I need to work on my part for _Critical Phase_. That song's pretty much all me and the vocalist, and I feel like there's something missing."

I got my guitar out, started to tune it, and then I started playing.

I started to zone out, feeling the music. It was just me… and my guitar. Nothing else mattered.

I started to imagine everyone else in the band playing along with me, even the ones who weren't going to be art of _Critical Phase_.

_Wait, I've got it! That's perfect!_

Having figured out what had been missing, I stopped playing. "Sachi! I just figured out what's missing in the song! I gotta go and tell my bandmates!" I shouted, putting my

"Wait for me!"

* * *

When we got out of the house and started to walk to school, Sachi dropped something I had dreaded for the past month.

"You know our promise… right?"

_Does she know…?_

"Yeah… the one from a year ago, right?"

"Yeah. The thing is… about a month back… I kind of… broke it," she said, looking down.

I thought about telling her the truth, that I had broken the promise as well, but I decided against it.

_It's too risky. She might figure out who I love._

"Don't worry about it," I reassured her. "I figured it would happen eventually. No human can live without love forever."

"What about you?"

I decided to joke around a bit. "I'm a guitarist, not a human. We don't fall in love with other people."

She looked down, and I feared that I had said something to upset her. "Hey, you okay? Wait… is the guy you fell for… a guitarist?"

"Who knows?"

* * *

The rest of the walk to school was spent in uncomfortable silence.

_Well, I must have screwed up somewhere…_

Just before we had to head to our separate classes, I remembered something.

"Hey, Sachi?"

"Yeah?"

I could hear the uncertainty in her voice. Still, I felt I should go through with it.

"I've got some tickets to a concert of mine coming up. If you want, you could invite the guy you like."

She looked at me, a sad smile on her face. "Thanks…"

She took the tickets, walking to her class.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Yeah, I know this didn't seem very harem-like, but it's a prologue, so what were you expecting? I can't just throw fifty girls at Kirito in the first two thousand words of a story, it's impossible!**

**Whew, now that that mini-rant is over, I can get to the next part of this A/N.**

**I know I'm kinda ripping off the name of the SAO PSP adaptation with the band's name, but whatever.**

**So, I think that's about it! Here it comes!**

**I don't own SAO or any of its adaptations!**

**See ya!**


	2. Chapter One: Critical Phase

Missing Beat

Chapter One: _Critical Phase_

* * *

**A/N:**

**Well, here's the first official chapter!**

**You'll have to tell me how I did with the concert and song scenes, because this is the first time I've done something like that.**

**That's about all I can think of to say right now, so… see ya at the bottom!**

* * *

When I walked into my clubroom after classes ended for the day, I was greeted with the sight of Yuuki arguing with Argo yet again, with Asuna sitting off by the window.

"Hey guys! What's going on?" I queried.

"Yuuki wants to get a new guitar auto tuner, but Argo won't shell out the money," Asuna said, sitting back by the corner window.

"Why do you want a new guitar tuner, Yuuki?" I asked her tentatively.

By that point, I was used to settling quarrels within the band. Though there weren't many, most of them revolved around Argo (the money manager) and another bandmate.

"She says it's broken," said another bandmate of mine, Shino, from the dark corner of the room.

_How did I not notice her?!_

"And whose fault is that?" Yuuki said with an edge to her voice, while she pointed accusingly at Shino.

"Hey, Shino," I said to her. "So, exactly what part is broken?"

"We don't know, actually. It just stopped working all of a sudden," said my pink-haired bandmate, Lisbeth, most likely annoyed at the commotion. "Yuuki thinks Shino sabotaged her for god-knows-what reason, though."

"Well, I used to have a job fixing things like that," I said tiredly. "Let me have a look at it."

"All right…" Yuuki said, begrudgingly walking over and handing me her guitar.

"No way…" Asuna whispered in awe.

"What?"

"I've never seen her let anyone else touch her guitar!"

"Huh," I said in an I'm-not-paying-attention tone while I took apart her auto tuner with a tool from my pocket.

_I always knew that my tools would come in handy eventually._

After a couple of minutes, I finished, saying, "Done! Test it out."

Once she tuned her guitar, she started to play. "Whoa, you fixed it! Thanks, Kazuto!"

"No prob," I replied, rubbing the back of my neck in embarrassment.

I then remembered my idea from that morning. "Guys, remember when I told you that something was missing from _Critical Phase_? Well, I figured out what it was!

"What was it?" Asuna inquired.

"Well, I was practicing my part in the song, and then I imagined everyone playing alongside me. I figured out a place in the song for everyone."

Asuna was skeptical. "What?" she asked.

"Okay, hear me out."

I quickly found six blank music sheets and a pencil, and began to scribble notes on them. When I finished, I wrote their names on their respective sheets and handed each one out.

Lisbeth was the first to respond, saying, "Whoa…"

"It's… perfect!" Yuuki chimed in.

The master sheet had everyone's parts in it, and I handed it to Argo. "Well? You think this'll sell?"

"Damn…" Argo whispered. "How do you get such effing genius ideas? Of course it'll sell!"

"All right!" Yuuki cheered.

"Let's get to practicing!" we all shouted simultaneously.

After playing through the song four times, I decided we should stop for the day.

"All right guys, I think it's time to call it a day. We're doing really well, and I expect us to do just as well on stage next Friday."

"You got it, club Prez!" Yuuki exclaimed.

"What she said," Shino said, voice as flat as ever.

_Thank god her playing isn't like her voice._

"Right!" Lisbeth shouted.

"Of course! Who do you think I am?" Asuna stated cockily.

"You'd better," Argo added. "Our budget is solid, but I still don't want any drops."

_All about the money, as usual._

"Okay, I'm gonna head out," I told them. "I gotta meet up with someone."

"Oh, is it a date?!" Lisbeth exclaimed in disbelief.

"No," I said coldly. "I told you, I've no intention of dating anyone."

"Aw, and here I thought I had something on you…"

"Bye!"

After I left the clubroom, I sighed in relief.

_Yet another day that I lived through club activities. Today was kinda uneventful, though._

* * *

When I got to the school gates, I found Sachi waiting for me. "Hey. You ready to go?"

"Yup," I affirmed. "But why did you wait for me? You usually go home without me on practice days."

"Oh… well…"

"What is it?" I asked gently.

"The guy I like…"

"Did he turn you down?" I asked edgily.

"Sort of," she whispered.

I looked at her, trying to read her expression. Her bangs covered her eyes, making it almost impossible.

When I gave up on trying to read her face, I asked, "What do you mean?"

"Don't worry about it! Let's just go home."

"All right, let's go."

* * *

Back at Sachi's house, I dropped my stuff in the bedroom while Sachi started cooking.

We had an unspoken deal that when I was over for reasons like this, I would make breakfast, and she would make dinner. I had no objections, as she happened to be an extremely good cook.

I sat down on my bed, thinking about my band's new song, _Critical Phase_.

_We have it down pretty well. It's a good thing, too, because our next gig is on Friday, which is only two days away. We might even run into a good manager to help us go pro! Aw, who am I kidding? That won't happen for a long time…_

"Kazuto! Dinner's ready!" Sachi shouted from downstairs.

"Coming!"

Halfway into the meal, I remembered something. "I know you said your crush turned you down—"

"Don't remind me."

"I wasn't done. Do you still want to come? You've never been to a concert before, and I want you to experience what they're like."

"Of course I still want to come!" she reassured me.

"In that case, I've got a better deal for you," I said smugly. "I've only got one, so no bringing a friend, but…"

"But?"

"I've got an all-access pass to our next gig, which is this Friday. You want it?"

Sachi's eyes widened, and she quickly said, "Of course! Thank you so much!"

I sighed. _I was reserving it for _her_, but I'd rather make Sachi feel better than try to win my crush over with something so shallow._

"Then it's settled!"

* * *

The next two days went by in a flash, and before I knew it, it was Friday… the day of our gig. When I woke up, that was the first thing I thought about. I got up, careful not to disturb Sachi, and got my guitar case out from under the bed.

I walked into the front room, taking my Gibson Les Paul out of its case. I plugged its cord into my amp in the front room, turned the amp to low, and started to strum away.

A few minutes into playing the guitar part of an old favorite song of mine, I heard shuffling coming from the bedroom.

"Well, someone got up early…" Sachi yawned, coming out from the hallway.

"Sorry, did my playing wake you up?" I asked sheepishly, rubbing the back of my neck.

"Spot on."

"Sorry. When I'm at home on the day of a gig, the first thing I do when I get up is practice," I informed her.

"No, it's fine. You play amazingly well, so it was cool to get up to that."

"Ah."

I got back to playing, zoning into the music once more. Once I finished, I packed up my stuff for later and headed for the kitchen.

"I'll make breakfast. You can take a shower while I'm making it," I offered.

"Thanks!"

Yet again, I found myself lost in thought as I cooked.

_Well, the gig is today… I'm kinda nervous. It's the first time we're performing on a big stage. That, and I'll have someone watching me other than Argo and my bandmates._

I sighed.

_Sachi… what am I gonna do with her? Of course the first guy she falls for in almost a year just _has_ to reject her. That must've hurt worse than the other breakups. I wish I could do something, but I'm not a part of the picture. If she wants my help, then I'll help her, but until then… I'm stuck._

I looked down at the dish I was preparing, noting that it looked just about ready.

"Smells good! I'll set the table!" Sachi said, coming into the kitchen in her towel again.

"Thanks," I said. "It's a little unusual for breakfast, but I made it anyway."

When we finished eating, I decided to take a shower. "Hey, Sachi?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you wash the dishes while I'm in the shower?"

"I always do, remember?"

"Oh yeah," I said quietly, a little embarrassed.

I went into the bedroom to get some of my clothes to take into the bathroom, finding that all I had left were my performance clothes and my school uniform, which had been washed the night before.

_I really need to get more clothes from my house tomorrow._

I got my uniform out of the dresser, taking it into the bathroom.

* * *

While I washed, I found myself daydreaming about what would happen if we found a good manager at our gig that night.

_If we get a manager and go pro, will we still have to go to school? What if we go on tour? What'll happen then? Will I be able to take my non-band friends with me?_

When I felt the water start to grow cold, I decided to stop thinking and start washing.

* * *

Walking out of the bathroom fully dressed, I met Sachi at the door.

"Ready?" we asked each other at the same time. At this, we shared a small laugh.

Once again, we simultaneously said, "Yeah."

We left her house, each of us smiling.

Once we were halfway to school, I said, "Today is the big day."

"Yeah. I finally get to see one of your performances."

"Well, you think you're ready?" I teased.

"Always!" she replied.

"Hey, it's Kazuto!"

_Oh god… please, not now!_

I turned around just in time to get glomped by a lavender-haired girl with a figure that most girls can only _dream_ of having. And of course, her two… personalities… were pressed against my chest in the bone-crushing hug.

"Can't… breathe…"

"Oh, sorry," the girl said, rubbing the back of her head as she backed off. "I was just so excited to see you!"

"Uh, Kazuto?"

"Wh-what is it?" I stuttered.

"Who is this girl?"

"Oh, you haven't met each other before, have you?" answering her question with my own. "This is Strea. I met her over the summer holiday. She's really energetic, but she's also really nice."

_And an awesome keyboardist._

"Oh! Nice to meet you!" Sachi said, giving Strea a warm smile. "My name is Sachi."

"So, what are you doing here, Strea? Last I checked, you lived in rural Japan, near my grandparents' villa."

We started walking again, heading towards the school.

"Oh, that's right!" she exclaimed. "My parents and I just moved here. I'm transferring into your school!"

"Sweet!" I said. "So, when do you fully transfer into your classes here?"

She looked at me with a blindingly bright smile. "This coming Monday! Normally, I would start in later, seeing as the movers haven't finished moving all our stuff yet, but I couldn't wait to see you! By the way, I'm actually going to a concert tonight!"

"Wow, I didn't think your parents would let you! They're pretty strict. How'd you convince them?"

"Secret."

_Damn._

It was then that I realized that my band was the only one playing in the area tonight.

"Hey, Strea?"

"Yeah? What's up?"

"What's the name of the band you're going to see?"

"Infinity Moment, of course! They're becoming more and more well-known all across Japan, and they're supposedly only a school club! Plus, that lead guitarist, Kirito, is so amazing! He can play guitar better than some of the best in Japan, AND he's the songwriter and composer for the band, AND he can even rap really well when the song calls for it!"

_ And there it is! My stage name! Still, I've only rapped in one song, though… I wasn't _that_ good…_

"Well, that's the first time in forever that I've heard someone say my stage name," I muttered. "It's kind of embarrassing…"

"Wait…" Strea trailed off, most likely connecting the dots in her head.

"Yeah, Kazuto is Kirito, the lead guitarist and leader of the famous band, Infinity Moment," Sachi said quietly.

"No way…" Strea trailed off again, before continuing with, "That's so awesome!"

"Keep it on the down-low, okay?" I requested. "No one at our school knows about it, and if they did, we would never be able to practice in peace."

"Oh, right!"

The rest of the walk was spent in idle conversation, and before we knew it, we had arrived at the school.

"Well, I'd better get going!" Strea shouted to us as she walked away. "See ya!"

"She's kinda…" Sachi trailed off.

"Overly flamboyant? Yeah, I know. Still, that's one of the things that make her… her."

We parted ways, heading to our classes.

* * *

After classes ended, I went to the clubroom to meet up with my bandmates one last time before our gig.

When I arrived, I realized something odd…

_It's… peaceful._

I looked around the room, noting that everyone was present.

"Well, it looks like everyone is here! It's time to talk about our song lineup." I started. "We'll open up with _Luminous Sword_, then continue with _Shunkan Sentimental_. Third will be _Black on White_, and then we'll keep going with an old favorite of ours, _Crossing Field_. I'm in a good mood, so we'll do _Rush_ for the second-to-last song. We'll finish with our new song, _Critical Phase_. Sound good to everyone?"

"Yeah!"

"Good! We'll meet at the Tokyo Concert Hall at six o'clock!"

When I walked to the school gates, I saw Sachi waiting for me, same as always.

"So, you ready for the concert?"

"Yeah," she affirmed, giving me a thumbs up.

"All right."

* * *

When we arrived at Sachi's house, I immediately set my stuff down by the door, going to her room to get my stage outfit.

I opened her dresser, looking at my stage clothes closely to try to find any imperfections. When I found none, I picked up the coat part and put it on to test its fit.

_Looks like I'm outgrowing my Coat of Midnight. Might be time to ask Ashley to get me a new look after this performance._

Ashley was the band's tailor. We met her after our first non-school gig, when she came up to us after we performed.

_"You can't go playing songs outside of school in your school uniforms!"_

Ever since she told us that, she had been personally tailoring all our stage clothes. Sadly, my stage clothes were always my favorite clothes… and if I wore them off-stage, everyone would know that I was Kirito, the famous lead guitarist of Infinity Moment.

I took the coat, along with the rest of my stage outfit, and packed them in a suitcase. I grabbed the suitcase by the handle, walking to the front door where Sachi stood waiting.

"Well, since you have an all-access pass, you can ride with the band while our driver gets us to the Tokyo Concert Hall."

"Who is your driver?" Sachi asked curiously.

"His name is Andrew Gilbert Mills, but he goes by Egil. He's an African American who moved here a few years back. He and his wife own a bar and grill, and my family goes there all the time. That's how I know him."

"I see."

I heard a car engine outside, and I instantly knew that he had arrived.

"I told him to pick me up here since my family is on vacation. Anyway, let's go!"

We walked outside, and when she saw our… method of transportation… she asked, "Why are you using a van?"

"We don't want people to know when we're coming, so he uses a different car for each gig we have. He has a lot of connections, most of whom like our band, so they let him borrow their cars for the rides."

We got in, and my nostrils were immediately assaulted by the smell of fresh pizza.

"What's up, guys?" I asked the group before me, all of whom were already holding slices of pizza. "Couldn't you wait for your Prez to get in before digging in?"

"No!"

"Didn't think so," I sighed. "Guys, this is my best friend, Sachi." I said, pointing to Sachi. "Sachi, these are my bandmates," I pointed to each of them, telling her their names.

Once we were on the road, Yuuki was the first to speak. "So, this is the best friend you've told us about? Pretty cool!"

Sachi stuttered out a "T-thank you," and I sighed.

"Don't mind Yuuki, she's a massive teaser."

"So, why did you bring her along?" Shino asked us from the corner.

"I gave her an all-access pass."

"WHAT?!" shouted all of my bandmates simultaneously.

"No, it's not anything like a date," I answered coolly, answering their thoughts.

"Dammit! Why are you so tough to woo over?" Lisbeth joked… or at least, I _thought_ she was joking.

"_Anyway_," Asuna said, saving me from the dreaded topic of love. "How's your voice? You think you'll be able to pull off _Rush_?"

"Just 'cause I don't usually do lead vocals doesn't mean that my voice isn't cut out for it," I boasted. "Besides, I can rap faster than you _any_ day."

"And I can sing _twice_ as well as you."

"Touché."

By that time, we had arrived at the back entrance to the concert hall. We got out with our equipment, bidding farewell to Egil.

"See you next concert!"

He drove off, leaving us to go back to his restaurant.

"Well, I've got the key to the back door," I told them. "Let's go prepare."

"Yeah!"

* * *

As we set up, I decided to take a tiny peek through the curtains to see what kind of crowd we were dealing with.

"Holy crap, this is a huge turnout…" I whispered.

The entire hall was filled to capacity with people, all of whom were wearing shirts with our symbol—a black sword wrapped in silver chains.

"There must be more than five hundred people here!" I informed my bandmates as I walked back to my equipment.

"Whoa, seriously?!" Asuna shouted gleefully.

Shino just stood in a corner as usual, acting like she didn't care. One look at her eyes was all it took to figure out she was overflowing with excitement, though.

"Nice!" Lisbeth shouted, joining in.

"All right!" Yuuki shouted back. "It's time to get us a good manager!"

"I doubt that there will be someone willing to take on our band, Yuuki," I told her, sighing. "We're not that popular yet. Though I'm wondering who made the shirts."

"That was Argo," Shino said. "She figured that we'd make good money selling those with our current popularity. Funny thing is, she was right."

I remembered that I had to show Sachi where she could sit, so I said, "Guys, I'm going to go show Sachi a good balcony seat, all right? I'll be back soon!"

I went over and took Sachi's hand, leading her up the stairs in the back. I led her to the area above the stage, then took her to the right so that she would be able to see better. Once I found a seat with a good view of the stage, I said, "You can sit here for the concert if you'd like. That all right?"

"Yeah, this is great!"

"Cool. Well, I'd better get back to my bandmates. The concert starts in about fifteen minutes."

"All right!"

"I'll meet you back here after the concert ends so you can come back with us, okay?"

"Okay!"

"Good. Well, see ya after the concert!"

When I got back to my bandmates, I started rushing around to set my stuff up. Once that was done, I asked my bandmates, "Hey, is everyone ready to go?"

"Yeah!"

"All right, when the curtains open up, I'll give them a speech, and then we start with the songs I told you!"

* * *

A few minutes later, I heard an announcer start introducing us, and then the curtains started to slowly open up. When we were in full view, I started a speech that I had memorized days in advance.

"Hey, everyone! Thanks for all the support you've given us! As you heard the announcer say, we used to be just a school club, but then people heard us, and you know the rest! I'm not gonna keep you here for hours just talking, so here we go!

"One!"

I looked to my bandmates, seeing that they were all ready.

"Two!"

I steeled myself, putting my fingers on the correct positions for the opening of _Luminous Sword_.

"One! Two! Three! Four!"

We opened with a bang, Asuna belting out the lyrics to the song while Lisbeth drummed like a pro, and Yuuki started jamming on her guitar… and I did the same.

The crowd was initially stunned into silence as we continued to play our hearts out. Gradually they began to cheer and clap. Then, I saw Strea in the crowd, and I almost tripped up a little at how good she looked from afar before remembering where I was and what I was doing.

The song finished with a flourish, and then the crowd came to life, roaring our names in cheers, with the names Kirito and Asuna being the most prominent.

_Well, we are the lead guitarist and singer. We tend to get the most attention._

When the crowd calmed down a bit, I took the mic in front of me and yelled, "Next up: Shunkan Sentimental!"

The crowd cheered once more, and then the song opened with a small guitar solo by me, then Asuna started belting out the lyrics.

_"Kawashita hazu no nai yakusoku ga _

_Kyou mo bokura no mirai wo ubaou to suru"_

I focused on my guitar playing once more. When next I focused on Asuna, she was singing the ending chorus.

_"Donna shunkan datte unmei datte _

_Hitotsu dake tashika na mono ga aru to shitta _

_Genkai datte konnan datte akirametaku nai yo _

_Kono mama hanasai de _

_Kataku nigirishimeta kimi no migite no nukumori _

_Koko ni aru kara!"_

The song finished with the same guitar solo it had started with, and then all was quiet for five seconds.

Suddenly, the crowd burst into cheers once more, and we waited for them to quiet down before Asuna took her mic and shouted, "Next up, we have _Black on White_!"

_"Kono te ni aru unmei…"_

After she said those words, we started in unison, all of our instruments roaring.

Our instruments quieted down for Asuna, who continued singing. The only sounds accompanying her were my guitar strums and an occasional drum beat from Lisbeth.

_"GIFT o sagasu no…"_

Our instruments came to life once more, accompanying her voice in a beautiful combination.

_"Uchinuke!"_

After one last flare of our instruments, the song ended.

The crowd cheered with the most intensity I had heard all night. It took longer for them to quiet down this time, but when they did, Asuna yelled into the mic, "And next, we have _Crossing Field_!"

The crowd cheered, as it was a fan favorite.

I turned around and I could see Argo behind us, ready to work the synthesizers to play the instruments that we didn't have.

_Thanks, Argo!_

And it began. Once the opening parts were over, Asuna started singing in a low voice.

When the chorus arrived, Lisbeth and her drums burst to life, along with Shino's base and my guitar, while the synthesizer did the rest.

The second verse started, and our instruments quieted down. Asuna began singing in her low voice again, but all too quickly, the next chorus came up, and everyone played their hearts out again.

It was soon time for my small guitar solo.

Asuna began singing again, albeit very quietly. Then, her voice picked up speed and power, eventually coming into the final chorus. At the very end of the song, she started singing the lyrics in English.

Once the song finally came to a close, the crowd roared the loudest I'd ever heard, even at other bands' concerts.

I took my own mic, shushing the crowd with a smile. "We have a special treat for you guys tonight! Along with our new song, you get to see a duet with me and Asuna! That's right…we're playing _Rush_!"

This being the most popular song we'd ever played, we got an even louder response than we did at the end of _Crossing Field_. It was deafening, though fantastic to hear.

_I swear, my eardrums are gonna be busted by the end of the night…_

I counted down in my head while looking at Asuna. Once I reached zero, I nodded.

_You know when to come in!_

She nodded back, and I opened up with five English words…

_"You got a master key!"_

Our instruments roared to life, making a symphony of modern sounds that went perfectly with my voice. Then, my first part ended with, _"Konna kanji Hey yo!"_

Asuna started the chorus, allowing my voice some time to rest.

_"Tooikaze ga mirai wo tsunagu toki _

_Koe ni naranu kotoba no iro _

_Mou iyada to nanimo mie nai to _

_Toki datte utsura nai kara!"_

I started back up again with the same English phrase, then started the next verse.

Asuna started in with a different chorus, belting it out like she had known the words all her life. Then when the chorus ended, my guitar got a little time to play by itself in a solo worth noting.

Asuna started singing softly as soon as the solo stopped. Gradually, her voice grew louder, until it was time for the chorus again. When she finished, she began a different chorus, singing it with unmatched passion.

Finally, it was time for the last part of the song, one last burst of music led by my guitar. When the song ended, all was silent for what seemed like forever… until…

The crowd burst into roaring cheers, many of them chanting, "Again!" over and over. I ignored this, as my voice was tired enough as it was.

"We have one last song for you tonight!" I shouted into my mic, trying to hide the soreness of my voice. "All right, we've been working on a new song for a couple of weeks now, and you guys are lucky enough to hear it first!"

The crowd cheered with a ferocity I had never thought we would get.

"All right! It's time for…"

Asuna took over, just as we'd planned. "_CRITICAL PHASE!_"

* * *

When we went backstage after the last song, I could see everyone's exhaustion.

"So, what do you guys think?" I asked. "You wanna keep doing this?"

All at once, everyone shouted, "Hell yeah!"

"Awesome!" I shouted back, before I remembered something important. "Hey, I'm gonna pick up Sachi from the second floor, okay?"

When I got to the second floor, I found Sachi looking down at the stage with an amazed look in her eyes.

"Hey there!" I said, putting my hand on her shoulder.

She jumped, being the easily frightened girl that she is, and gave a startled scream.

"Relax, Sachi. It's just me," I whispered gently into her ear.

"Not cool, Kazuto!"

"Whatever. Let's go back downstairs. We have to pack up and head out."

I grabbed her hand and led her down the stairs, taking her to where my bandmates were.

"So, how did you like it?" Asuna asked Sachi as soon as we came down the stairs.

"It was… amazing!" she shouted enthusiastically. "But the cheering was kinda loud…"

"Eh, you get used to it… eventually," Shino said from her corner.

Then I heard someone walk in through the back entrance.

When whoever it was walked in, I immediately said, "Performers and employees only."

"Well, I'm not either of those, but I think you'll want me around anyway."

Looking more closely, I saw a tall man with red hair, a red bandanna, and a bit of stubble on his chin.

"You're…" I whispered in disbelief.

"Yup! I'm Klein, and I work for the famous record company, Nightfall Records! I saw your performance, and I think you guys have what it takes to go pro! What do you say? Willing to take the chance?"

Not even a second later, we all shouted the exact same thing:

"Hell yeah!"

* * *

**A/N:**

**Sooo… what did you guys think of how I wrote the concert? I'd love to hear feedback! Also, all of those songs do not belong to me. For the sake of the story, we'll pretend that they belong to the band, but that's different. Anyway, I'll go ahead and list off the songs and their respective owners or artists, along with their albums or the way I got them.**

**_Luminous Sword: Kaijura Yuki. Album: Sword Art Online Original Soundtrack, volume one_**

**_Shunkan Sentimental: SCANDAL. Album: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood Original Soundtrack, volume two_**

**_Black on White: Iori Nomizu. Way I got it: YouTube-mp3_**

**_Crossing Field: LiSA. Album: Sword Art Online Music Collection_**

**_Rush: Uverworld. (My favorite band in existence!) How I got it: YouTube-mp3_**

**_And finally, Critical Phase: Kaijura Yuki. Album: Sword Art Online Original Soundtrack, volume two_**

**Well, that's about it!**

**Here's the disclaimer!**

**I don't own the Sword Art Online Light Novel series or any of its adaptations!**

**See you next chapter!**


	3. Chapter Two: Colors of the Heart

Missing Beat

Chapter Two: _Colors of the Heart_

* * *

**A/N:**

**The title sounds a little weird, doesn't it? Well, you'll see what it means in a little bit. Then again, it's in italics, which makes it kinda obvious.**

**Also, as of this authors' note, I haven't got a single review, so I'm hoping you guys could give me some feedback, positive or not. I'll take anything but flames and people telling me how to write my story.**

**I haven't looked over this chapter very thoroughly in terms of grammar and spelling, so I hope it's up to snuff with my regular stories. Tell me any mistake you spot and I'll be sure to fix that in the next chapter!**

**Well, I've rambled enough for now!**

**See ya at the bottom!**

* * *

_When whoever it was walked in, I immediately said, "Performers and employees only."_

_"Well, I'm not either of those, but I think you'll want me around anyway."_

_Looking more closely, I saw a tall man with red hair, a red bandanna, and a bit of stubble on his chin._

_"You're…" I whispered in disbelief._

_"Yup! I'm Klein, and I work for the famous record company, Nightfall Records! I saw your performance, and I think you guys have what it takes to go pro! What do you say? Willing to take the chance?"_

_Not even a second later, we all shouted the exact same thing:_

_"Hell yeah!"_

* * *

All was silent.

As we rode in Egil's friend's van to the record company, I could _feel_ the nervousness of all of my bandmates. Yet somehow, I felt oddly… calm.

I thought about what would happen once we got to the company building. _Okay, they'll probably want to make a contract with us. Good thing I studied up on that with Argo a while back. They can't pull a fast one on us!_

* * *

Once we finally got to _Nightfall Tower_, the building for the company, we bid farewell to Egil, who had been engaging in idle conversation with Klein.

"That Egil's a nice guy!" Klein said jubilantly. "How'd you meet him?"

"He runs a bar and grill that my family goes to all the time," I said in a calm demeanor, despite the situation. "He's been a friend of the family for a long time. He was actually my dad's pen-pal before I was born, and then when I was little, he moved to Japan."

"That's pretty awesome," Klein replied. "Anyway, let's go inside."

We went through the doors of the building, walking to the elevator.

Klein turned to us and said, "My office is at the top floor. We'll talk business there."

_The top floor… that's where the big-shots are!_

As we rode on the elevator, we all stood there in silence. I looked over at Sachi, and I instantly knew that something was wrong.

I walked over to her quietly, discreetly asking, "What's wrong, Sachi?"

"I feel like I'm not supposed to be here…"

Apparently, Klein had been listening in, and he said, "So that's why you've been lookin' so nervous? Don't worry about it! If you're a friend of the band, you're always welcome here!"

She smiled softly.

"Thanks, man," I said, giving Klein a smile.

"No prob!" Klein said. "Hey, it looks like we're here!"

The elevator door opened, revealing a drab hallway.

"Second door on the left," Klein told us as if we were going in on our own. "For future reference."

We walked over to the door, and when Klein opened it, his office amazed us all.

The entire office, from the walls, to the desk, to the self, were all painted a deep red. Behind his desk, a window loomed, showing the nighttime lights of Tokyo in a beautiful display that took the words I was planning to say out of my mouth… momentarily.

"Pretty nice view, isn't it?" Klein queried rhetorically. "I had to work my butt off for three years to get up on the top floor with the big-shots, but it was worth it. Anyway, time to talk business."

"Right," I heard Argo say from her spot by the door.

_She's getting into her business mode… watch out, Klein!_

"All right, I've got a contract whipped up already, but you might want to get a lawyer before accepting or declining. I'll let you have a look at it first, though."

Klein opened the drawer in his desk, pulling out a small stack of paper.

"Argo?" I said, nodding her over.

"Right."

Argo walked over to Klein, taking the contract from him in one fluid motion. She began to read, shaking her head every once in a while. She got through the first page in about ten seconds, proceeding to go through every page in a similar speed.

When she finished, she quietly said, "No good. The royalties are too low."

"Royalties?" Sachi asked.

"Royalties are basically our cut of the sales," Argo explained, handing the papers back to Klein. "Here you go."

"You guys sure you don't want a lawyer?" he asked hesitantly.

"When it comes to figuring out how to get money, and lots of it, she's better than any lawyer," I explained.

"I see…" Klein said with a sigh. "I dunno what to tell ya. Contracts here are non-negotiable."

Suddenly, an idea struck me. "What if we made a new contract?"

"Huh?" Klein queried.

"Okay, hear me out. Give me two weeks to come up with a single. If I don't finish the single in time, then we'll walk out. If I make it in time, we'll record it in your studios and try your contract for that first song. But if it goes gold within a month, we make a new contract… on _our_ terms," I said, pointing to each of my bandmates.

"You're a bold kid, thinking you can pull the strings like that…" Klein started. "But I like that. You're on, Kirito!"

We shook on it, and he went with us down to the lobby. On the way down, I called Egil to tell him we needed him to pick us up.

"Well, I'll see you guys in two weeks!"

* * *

As soon as we got in Egil's friend's van…

"YOU IDIOT!" Asuna screamed at me, getting in my face.

"I know I was stupid, but I was under pressure! You know I act stupid under pressure!"

"Pressure my ass! You just wanted to show off!"

"You really put us in a bind there, genius," Shino said, her tone icy.

"Not your smartest move," Lisbeth joined in.

"Come on, guys! Cut me some slack!"

"No," Yuuki said, though I could tell that at least _she_ was just kidding.

"Guys, I think he can do it!"

_Sachi…?_

"He's been humming a tune I've never heard of before when he's lost in thought for ages, and I think he can use that!"

_My god… she's right!_

"That's right! I came up with the composition ages ago, but I never tried to make any lyrics!"

"And _why_ didn't you come to me?!" Asuna shouted, once again in my face. "You know that I come up with most of the lyrics anyway!"

"Because… because it was a song I didn't want anyone to hear. The melody is very important to me, and the half-finished lyrics have a special meaning to me, so I wanted to finish it on my own."

"Well, I can't really help you with that one…" Asuna sighed. "I'd get bored knowing I wouldn't have any say in the lyrics."

"Gee, you're really helpful!" Lisbeth butted in.

"Well _excuse me_ for being mad that the first contracted single he makes is all about him!"

"Guys, please calm down…" I requested.

"Why?!" they shouted at the same time.

I decided to be bold. "First of all, you're right. The song kinda _is_ all about me and my past, but you'd still be the one singing most of it. Second, your pointless bickering only serves to make it hard to concentrate on finishing the lyrics. You know I'm always thinking about my music."

They both quieted down instantly.

I inwardly frowned. _But all I've been trying to do with this song is forget._

"Also, I'm gonna give you each a copy of your parts tomorrow at practice so that everyone can practice their parts separately, as well as together."

"Right."

* * *

The rest of the ride home was silent. Nobody talked, most likely out of respect for my song-making mode.

_The problem is that I usually come up with the lyrics with Asuna, then a melody to match. This doesn't bode well._

When we got to Sachi's house, we bid farewell to everyone else and walked in the door.

"Hey, Sachi?" I queried.

"Yeah?"

"I need to go next door and get some blank music sheets, as well as my sheets with the half-finished lyrics. Wanna come with me?" I asked her.

"Okay!"

We walked out the door once more, heading next door to my house. I fished my key out from my jacket pocket, putting it in the door and unlocking it. I turned the handle, opening the door and walking in with Sachi.

"Sorry about the mess," I said with a sheepish smile, pointing towards the music sheets littered everywhere on the ground. "My parents are musicians too, but they're not popular anymore. They still come up with music, but they're really bad about cleaning up the music sheets they don't think feel right."

"What do you mean?"

"Huh?"

"You said they aren't popular any_more_. Does that mean they were popular once?"

I sighed in resignation. "Yeah. They were really popular before I was born. When I was born, they kinda disappeared. When I asked them about it, they told me they wanted to raise me in peace."

"I see…"

She could tell that I didn't want to say anything else on the subject, so she fell silent. We walked through a hallway on the far side of the room, coming to a stop in front of a door with a poster of me in middle school playing my Gibson Les Paul along with three older boys and one older girl on it, all playing other instruments.

"Who are they?" Sachi queried.

"They were… my first band. Yami no Sekai. Everyone in that band other than me was in high school, while I was in middle school. We were the ones who originally came up with the duet _Rush_, but something happened to the band before I could perform it with them."

"Yami no Sekai?! The famous rock band?! Wait, what happened? The media never said what happened to them."

_Just remembering it makes my heart ache…_ "It's not something you would want to hear. That, and I just don't think I can handle talking about it."

"Wow… something really horrible must have happened if you can't handle talking about it…" Sachi whispered.

"Well, that's enough about that," I said, giving a nervous laugh. Only then did I notice the tears building up in my eyes. "Well, let's find… the music sheets."

"You know, I'm here for you when you want to talk. I won't force you."

I looked at her, the tears begging desperately to escape. She gave me an honest smile, and I knew she could see the inner turmoil going on in my head.

I turned away, entering my room. "I'll be right back."

She knew I didn't like other people in my room, so she stayed back. She had no idea why I didn't like it, and I had no intention of anyone, even her, finding out.

_This is why I don't like to go near my room._

I looked around the room, finding more posters of my first band. As soon as I saw the poster of me and the lead vocalist, the tears that had been begging to escape fell freely.

_Everyone…_

I went to my dresser drawer, pulling out some blank music sheets and a paper with a lot of scribbles on it.

_There it is… the remains of my heartbreak._

At the top, there was a song name written in the most beautiful handwriting I had ever seen.

_Colors of the Heart_

I smiled wryly. _Of course the handwriting is good. It's _hers_._

I wiped my tears on my sleeve, taking the papers, along with a pen on my desk, and walking out of my room.

"All right, let's go," I told Sachi once I entered the hallway.

We went back to the front door, and I remembered the night my parents left one week prior.

* * *

_"I'm sorry we can't take you with us, but Suguha is…" my mother said._

_"Mad at me."_

_"Yes. And we're going to her kendo tournament, so…" my dad said, clearly unenthused._

_"Don't worry about it," I said, laughing it off. "Besides, if I get lonely, I can always stay with Sachi and her parents, right?"_

_"Of course!" my mother exclaimed. "Oh, they're such nice people!"_

_"Well, we'd better get going…" my dad trailed off. He made it painfully clear that he wanted to do anything but go on the trip, but my mom paid him no mind._

I almost feel sorry for him…_  
_

_They walked out the door, carrying suitcases with them. They walked to our car, put the suitcases in it, and waved to me._

_"Bye!" I shouted from inside the doorway._

* * *

I snapped out of my reverie, noting that we had already walked to Sachi's front door… and that I was humming the tune to _Colors of the Heart_ again.

"I've noticed that your humming gets more detailed each time you start humming the tune," Sachi observed.

"Huh."

"What's the name of the song?"

"_Colors of the Heart_."

"Sounds romantic!" Sachi exclaimed, clearly excited.

"It's depressing. It's about something that happened before I met you, so you wouldn't understand."

"Oh…"

I could already feel the heartache that came with the very mention of the song's name. Still, I knew I had to finish it…

_For her…_

"Well, let's go inside, all right?" I suggested, opening the unlocked door.

We walked inside, and I walked into the hallway. I entered Sachi's room, walking over to her homework desk and setting my papers down.

_Spotless as always. Too bad I'm gonna mess it up for a while._

"Sachi, I hope you don't mind me using your desk as a workspace!" I shouted. The sound reverberated through the hallway, and I heard an, "It's all right!" before I heard her start an open fire for cooking.

_Oh, that's right. She cooks in very unusual ways, doesn't she? I'm surprised the house hasn't burned down yet. Anyway…_

"All right… first things first, I gotta write out the composition. That won't take too long, seeing as I came up with the general sound for each instrument a while back. I just have to refine it…" I whispered, grabbing a pen and getting to work.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, I had finished writing out the notes on everyone's music sheets.

"Time to get to work finishing the lyrics. I'd better transfer what I have over to a new paper first so it doesn't look like it was half-finished already," I muttered to myself.

After transferring the original lyrics onto a new sheet of paper, I set to work on finishing them. But of course…

By the time dinner came around, I hadn't written a single word.

"So, how did it go?" Sachi queried.

"Couldn't come up with a word."

"That's not good."

"Don't worry, this is how it works. I try, I fail for a while, and eventually, a spurt of inspiration comes my way. Then I write the inspiration down to finish the song, and the song gets practiced," I said dismissively.

_But what if that doesn't happen?_ I thought inwardly. In reality, I had been worried about this happening ever since I had heard Asuna shout at me. Even with the head start, it was very unlikely that I would finish in time.

_Well, all I can do is try!_

* * *

The next ten days went by in a similar routine. I would get up, go to school, practice the melody with my bandmates, go over to Sachi's house, and try fruitlessly to come up with lyrics.

During a break between practicing the melody, I heard Asuna agitatedly say, "You only have four days left, Kazuto. You almost done?"

Sighing, I said, "No… I don't know where to continue."

"YOU MEAN YOU HAVEN'T WRITTEN ANYTHING?!" Asuna screamed. "We're so screwed!"

It was then that my brain decided to start working for the first time in days. "Hey, Yuuki?"

Looking up from her guitar, she queried, "What's up?"

"How's your sister?"

"She's… okay, I guess," Yuuki replied sadly.

"Do you think she could handle a visit from me?" I asked tentatively.

"I dunno, Kazuto," Yuuki told me uncertainly. "She's kinda unstable right now…"

"Well, ask her tonight. If she's fine with it, then I was hoping I could come over."

Yuuki sighed. "That's the problem."

"What do you mean?" Shino asked from her corner.

"I-it's nothing! I'm sure she'll be fine with it. I'll make sure she stays calm while you're over."

"Thanks, Yuuki," I said, giving her a soft smile.

For the faintest of moments, I thought I saw her blush. "D-don't mention it!"

"Am I the only one confused here?" Lisbeth said, walking over from her drum set.

Asuna looked at Yuuki skeptically. "Yeah, I thought your sister was _older_ than you, Yuuki."

I gave them both an icy glare, and they froze up. "Don't concern yourselves with this. It doesn't involve you," I said in a steely voice.

Silence.

Yuuki laughed nervously. "Well, why don't we stop for the day and head home?"

We all agreed, and we left.

* * *

At the front gates to the school, Yuuki and I met up with Sachi. "Hey, I'm gonna go to Yuuki's place for a couple of days to write the lyrics, okay? I came up with a way to get the lyrics down faster, but I can only do it over there."

I could see the surprise building up in Yuuki's eyes.

"Oh, I see…" Sachi said, looking down.

"I'll come back to your place if I get done early, all right?"

* * *

"A couple of days?!" Yuuki shouted as we walked to her house. "But I thought this was just a visit!"

"Think of it like the music training camp we went to last year. But instead of everyone being with us, it'll just be you, me and your sister."

Realizing she couldn't win, she just sighed. "Okay, but if mom doesn't want it, you're out, got it?"

"Well, duh," I replied. "I don't like pushing people's parents' buttons."

* * *

When we arrived at Yuuki's house, she opened the front door to reveal a clean hallway.

"Mom, I'm home! And I hope you don't mind that Kazuto is with me!"

Coming out of the third door to the left, Yuuki's mom, Yulier, said, "Oh, it's fine!"

She walked up to me, enveloping me in a bone-crushing hug. "It's so good to see you! You haven't been over here for a long time! I'm s—"

"Don't worry about it. It's not your fault," I said after she released me. "Anyway, I'm looking for inspiration for the lyrics on my newest song, and I figured your place would bring back some nostalgic ideas. It's a song about the past, so…

Anyway, how's _she_ doing now?"

"You mean my eldest daughter? She's doing fine… though she's a bit under the weather for some reason."

_"I dunno, Kazuto," Yuuki told me uncertainly. "She's kinda unstable right now…"_

"Would it be all right if I see her?"

"Does this have to do with your lyrics?" Yulier asked, an all-knowing expression on her face.

I sighed. "I can't deny that that's a part of it. But at the same time, I really do want to see her."

This time, Yulier was the one to sigh. "Well, it might be for the best. She's been wanting to see you as well."

_What?! But I thought…_

Keeping my composure, I said, "Thanks. Let's go, Yuuki."

"Right…" Yuuki whispered dejectedly.

I looked down as we walked through the maze-like house, falling deep into thought.

_That's right… Yuuki used to idolize her sister, didn't she? It must've been tough when _that_ happened… Sorry, Yuuki…_

When we reached Yuuki's sister's room, I steeled myself… to face the demons of my past.

* * *

**A/N:**

**So, I revealed a bit about Kazuto's past, huh? Well, you'll get some more of that later on. ;)**

**Okay then, I can't really think of anything else to say… so I'll just give you a future prediction for the next chapter of this fic. I won't spoil you, I'll just give you the mood of the next chapter.**

**The mood of the next chapter: depressing drama.**

**Before that moody stuff, though, I'll be making a lighthearted, hopefully humorous omake chapter centered on Kirito and Argo, so look forward to that!**

**Well, I guess I'll see you next chapter! But first, the line everyone has (not) been waiting for: the disclaimer!**

**I don't own the Sword Art Online light novel series or any of its adaptations!**

**Ciao!**


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